Opinion: Social Security versus S&P 500 – is the retirement system broken?
Fast facts
- Category: Business
- Language: EN
- Published: 2026-05-01 19:31 UTC
- Sources: MarketWatch
A MarketWatch commentary calculates that investing Social Security contributions in the S&P 500 over a career could have yielded about $4 million, far more than the benefits paid today. The author argues that the disparity highlights systemic issues in the retirement program. The piece uses personal anecdote to question whether the system can meet future obligations.